Facewatch Data Protection Officer explains to Vanessa Feltz how Facewatch prevents crime and protects frontline staff.
To discover how Facewatch is effectively assisting our subscribers in safeguarding their staff and preventing crime, don’t hesitate to reach out to us today. You can find more information at https://bit.ly/3DyjGon or contact us directly on 020 7930 3225.
#facialrecognition #facewatch #shoplifting #crimeprevention #VanessaFeltz #TalkTV
The Co-op has recently experienced a concerning surge in shoplifting, reaching its highest level in history. According to The BBC, the police response to reported serious retail crimes has been inadequate, with a staggering 71% of cases remaining unresolved.
As the shoplifting epidemic in the UK continues to escalate, retailers are actively seeking alternative measures to safeguard their employees and combat crime within their stores.
Facewatch’s cutting-edge crime prevention solution has revealed some compelling statistics for stores with and without Facewatch installed across one of our subscribers:
Year on Year (YOY) overall crime has seen a modest 1.4% increase in stores with Facewatch, in contrast to a distressing 44.1% surge in stores lacking the system.
When it comes to YOY violence, stores equipped with Facewatch have witnessed a notable 17% reduction, while those without it experienced a worrisome 16% increase in violent incidents.
The introduction of Facewatch has proven invaluable in granting peace of mind to frontline staff, as it minimises the need for confrontations. Furthermore, this groundbreaking technology which complies with the data protection act has demonstrated its ability to reduce retail crime by an impressive 35% within just one year.
To discover how Facewatch is effectively assisting our subscribers in safeguarding their staff and preventing crime, don’t hesitate to reach out to us today. You can find more information at https://bit.ly/3DyjGon or contact us directly on 020 7930 3225.
#facialrecognition #facewatch #shoplifting #crimeprevention
Staff safety is a big issue as “criminals have a license to shoplift, which is not a victimless crime.” One of the UK’s largest retailers speaks about the rise in shoplifting and the effect on store staff as “gangs and shoplifters have become much bolder” as a result of the cost-of-living crisis in the UK.
It’s a difficult reality for UK retailers, but we already know that “the police simply don’t have the time or resource to respond to a shoplifting incident”. Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/3Dk7vLq
Facewatch is proven to reduce retail crime by up to 35% in 12 months. Contact us today to find out how Facewatch is helping our subscribers to protect their staff and prevent crime
020 7930 3225
#facialrecognition #crimeprevention #shoplifting #johnlewis #DameSharonWhite
An exciting testimonial from our newest partner! In just one week after installing Facewatch, they are already witnessing significant results. Read on to discover their experience first-hand:
“Our experience with Facewatch in our Weymouth town centre store has been remarkable. Within just one week of implementing the system, we witnessed a significant decrease in crime and a notable deterrence of repeat offenders.
Previously, our team would only identify offenders after they had already entered the store, selected items, and caused conflicts when confronted. Recovering stolen goods and asking them to leave often resulted in challenging situations. However, with Facewatch, individuals on the Facewatch database are now denied entry at the store’s entrance, simplifying the entire process and making it more manageable. Very quickly, these potential offenders have learned not to target our store at all.
Moreover, we have started reviewing CCTV footage from the previous day to identify any thefts that went unnoticed initially. By promptly reporting these offenders and adding them to the Facewatch database, we ensure that such incidents never go unnoticed again. This proactive approach has not only protected our business and team but will also save us a substantial amount of money in the long run.
We firmly believe that while we may not be able to eliminate the problem entirely, we can certainly displace it to safeguard our business and employees. The Facewatch system’s simplicity and user-friendliness have been instrumental in its success. The training provided was exceptional, and the intuitive nature of the system made it even easier for us to adapt.”
Stephen Bassett & Dave Hiscutt from Londis Weymouth
Contact us now to find out more and book your FREE demo
0207 930 3225
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK supervisory authority for processing personal data under the Data Protection Act and UKGDPR. The ICO has closed a formal inspection of Facewatch. The ICO concluded that no regulatory action is required. The ICO “are satisfied the company has a legitimate purpose for using people’s information for the detection and prevention of crime.”
The Office of the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner (OSBCC) is the UK supervisory authority for biometric processing and CCTV cameras. The OSBCC has awarded Facewatch certification of compliance with the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice for our use of live facial recognition.
Facewatch has become the first facial recognition business to win the official backing of the UK regulator, which has recognised the company’s “excellent and most commendable commitment” to high standards and maintaining public trust.
The Office of the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner, Professor Fraser Sampson, has awarded Facewatch its certification mark for meeting all requirements of the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice (SCCP) specifically for the use of live facial recognition.
The Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner is the UK regulatory authority for biometric processing and CCTV, including facial recognition.
The certification enables Facewatch, the UK’s leading facial recognition retail security company, to demonstrate that they comply with the SCCP for their use of Automatic Facial Recognition within their customers’ premises. The award of the mark follows a detailed accreditation process with the Security Systems and Alarms Inspections Board (SSAIB).
Nick Fisher, chairman of Facewatch, said: “The award of this certification underlines our commitment to best practice, both to prevent crime and protect staff and customers. The public and our subscribers can continue to have confidence in our systems and safeguards.”
Commissioner Fraser Sampson said: “By successfully engaging with the professional accreditation bodies and my certification scheme, an organisation, and more importantly the public, may be reassured that surveillance camera systems which intrude upon their privacy are being demonstrably operated ethically and legitimately to an appropriate standard.
“The certification scheme goes above and beyond the basic requirements of data protection and is designed, as is the government’s Surveillance Camera Code, to enable operators of surveillance camera systems to make legitimate use of available technology in a way that the public would rightly expect and to a standard that maintains public trust and confidence. I acknowledge your excellent and most commendable commitment in that regard arising from your engagement with this process.”
Facewatch takes protecting privacy and complying with the law and the Code of Practice very seriously. Facewatch is the only automatic facial recognition provider that complies with the UK GDPR and the SCCP.
Simon Gordon (Founder)
Surveillance Camera Code of Practice (SCCP) in full: https://bit.ly/3nnvEvP
A Mail on Sunday article featured criticism from a privacy pressure group of retailers using Facewatch to prevent crime and abuse of staff in their stores.
Fraser Group responded by saying they use Facewatch “to ensure the safety of our staff and to help prevent theft”.
The activists’ criticism fell flat in the court of public opinion. Support and understanding from the public was evident as the online comments on the article point to overwhelming support for retailers using Facewatch.
“Blame the shoplifters not the store for trying to prevent it. Shoplifting cost us all and lets call it by its proper name, theft.” [sic]
“More stores should do the same, then it may bring prices down so that honest people could afford to buy what they need or want..”
The statistics are clear, and according to the British Retail Consortium, ‘shoplifting has rocketed from 2.9 million incidents in 2016/17 to 7.9 million last year. The cost to retailers almost doubled from £503 million to £953 million in the same period’ demonstrating that the need for an effective solution is growing.
Read the full article here https://bit.ly/3yyxlc5 and contact us now to find out how Facewatch can help you to protect your staff using our UKGDPR compliant system
0207 930 3225
Fascinating to hear the inside story…
Channel 4 have been granted rare and exclusive access to a CCTV monitoring centre at the retailer Boots’ headquarters in Nottingham. https://youtu.be/4Z0C8yxJI1M
Channel 4 understands that figures released by the British Retail Consortium later this week will show that violence and abuse against staff have doubled since 2019. Thefts cost retailers over 600-million pounds in revenue annually.
Facewatch is the trusted name in retail crime prevention, using facial recognition to proactively protect staff, customers and stock for a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. Facewatch can reduce crime by 25% in the first 6 months of use and up to 50% within one year as well as reducing staff abuse dramatically by eliminating the flashpoint involved in dealing with a crime in progress.
Facewatch teamed up with Security Journal UK for the first time to discuss the mission to provide affordable crime prevention solutions to protect employees, business owners and customers in a secure yet unobtrusive way. Read the full editorial here
If retailers would like to see more about what we do, we will be hosting a webinar on Thursday 20th October @3pm.
We will also be joined by two retailers who deployed Facewatch across their large estates over the last 3 years. They will share how Facewatch has worked for them, the ROI delivered, and information from their live reporting dashboard that they now use to make operational decisions, including footfall monitoring and SOI trend patterns.
Retailers, join our live Facewatch demonstration and learn from leading retailers how Facewatch has worked for them.
Places are limited, please click here to register.
The Grocer reports supermarket bosses saying theft levels are ‘off the charts’ and it’s only going to get worse. According to the Office for National Statistics, 89% of adults in Great Britain reported an increase in their cost of living in August 2022, while household incomes are expected to fall in 2022.
The cost of living crisis is getting worse and it’s predicted that crime will continue to increase. As a retailer, you have a right to protect your business, employees and customers using technologies available to you, providing they are lawful.
Facewatch is fully UKGDPR compliant and proven to reduce crime by discouraging subjects of interest from entering your premises. You can expect substantial reductions in financial loss, typically 50% after 6 months, plus your frontline workers will tell you they feel safer where Facewatch is deployed.
Facewatch know, through interviews with their clients, that traditional security such as CCTV, tagging and human guarding is ineffective and doesn’t deter crime. It only records it happening and can create unnecessary conflict in store when aiming to recover stolen items. There’s no evidence to support these traditional methods reduce crime over time and that’s why more retailers are turning to Facewatch.
Facewatch would like to invite UK retailers to join our live webinar demonstration.
You can see how easily database are created, how SOI’s are detected and how the data is lawfully shared. We’ll be joined by two retailers who have deployed Facewatch across their large estates over the last 3 years. They will share how Facewatch has worked for them, the ROI they’ve delivered and information from their reporting dashboard that they now use to make operational decisions, including footfall monitoring and SOI trend patterns.
Attendees will be invited to submit questions during the webinar and we will attempt to answer as many as possible during the session.
